“He kind of recently moved to New Mexico,” The Kevster said.

Finally, something I didn’t know.

“And?” I prompted.

 “Well, he started growing,” Kevin stated and I closed my eyes.

Rosie.

All that trouble he had the last time, and, I might add, brought down on Indy, and he was growing again?

What a fucking idiot.

I opened my eyes again when The Kevster kept at it. “He established a fanbase, like, real quick. So some dudes wanted in on the action. As you know, that’s history repeating.”

Oh, I knew this, too.

“Rosie was having flashbacks, not the good kind, and he’d heard word you were establishing yourself as the Badass Queen of Denver,” Kevin stated.

At this, Ren’s arm got tight and I sighed.

The Kevster kept going. “And so, you know, for protection, he dropped your name.”

Ren made a noise that sounded like a growl and I was pretty certain I heard others, primarily from Lee and Hank. But fortunately The Kevster had finally found his mojo and was on a roll.

“The dudes down there tryin’ to horn in on his action don’t know you’re a badass with badass backup. They apparently were unimpressed.”

Great.

Kevin went on.

“So they stopped tryin’ to horn in and just did it. Rosie got pissed. Told them he was comin’ to get you to take care of business and he hightailed it up here. They followed him. He came to me because I knew where to find you. I didn’t get a good feeling about things, because, you know, he was totally tweaked. And Rosie’s usually mellow. When he’s tweaked, dudette, that means bad things.”

It so did.

Kevin carried on.

“I talked to him and got him to bare all. This included the fact that one of those New Mexican dudes blows stuff up in the New Mexico boonies all the time. So that Rosie didn’t, like, lead them to you, I came to tell you this was all going down, and saw some dude who I knew was not your style comin’ out of your apartment. I figured they found you without Rosie. He didn’t see me, so I followed him and he was just sittin’ in his car in your parking lot. But he had this little box in his hand.”

“Fuck me,” Ren murmured.

Kevin talked over Ren. “I figured he was waiting for you to get there so he could, you know…”

He trailed off. The room became stifling, so I urged him to go on, saying, “I know.”

Kevin nodded. “So he wouldn’t see me, I went in and kept an eye out. But you were takin’ a long time to come home, so I went to the stairwell I thought you’d use and had myself a doobie to smooth out the rough edges and pass the time.” His eyes went to Hank and he stated quickly, “It’s legal now, you know.”

“I know,” Hank growled, his thoughts on that matter not hidden even in those two words.

Again, I sighed.

“What I don’t know,” Hank stated. “Is why you saw a strange man walking out of my sister’s apartment and sitting in her parking lot, holding a box you knew was a detonator, and you didn’t phone the police.”

“The police?” Kevin asked, like the concept of law enforcement was foreign to him.

Hank said nothing, obviously realizing this conversation would lead to nothing good. But I saw his jaw clench.

The Kevster clearly also decided conversing longer with Hank would lead to nothing good, so he gave up, looked my way and kept going. “So, obviously, I missed you. Luckily I came up as you were comin’ up and,” he flicked out his hands, “we’re all breathing.”

“Where’s Rosie now?” Eddie asked, and Kevin looked at him.

“My place,” he answered.

“Mace, roll out,” Lee ordered, but Mace was already moving to the door.

I looked back at Kevin. “Why would Rosie think I’d help him?”

“’Cause you guys are buds,” The Kevster informed me.

“Since when?” I asked.

The Kevster looked confused. “You’re not buds?”

“He got my best friend in a situation where she nearly got kidnapped to Costa Rica,” I replied. “No, we’re not buds.”

“Dudette, that was like, years ago. Forgiveness is divine,” Kevin told me.

“Kicking ass feels better,” I replied.

At my words his eyes got big and he grinned a goofy grin. “You are so totally badass.” Then he threw his arms up in the air and cried, “Rock Chicks rule!”

This was true, all of it, but I didn’t get the chance to agree with him. Lee took over.

“There are uniforms in reception. You’re goin’ with Eddie now and making your statement. Then, until this shit blows over, you’re in my safe room.”

The Kevster’s eyes stayed big, but for a different reason this time.

He bounced in his seat and cried, “Dude! No! You have a no-smoking policy!”

“Man, you nearly got blown up today,” Lee reminded him. “You can stay here and stay off the weed or you can go out there and take your chances. Your choice. You got two seconds to make it.”

“Can I crack a window?” Kevin asked.

“No,” Lee answered.

Kevin slouched in his chair. “Bummed, dude.”

“Are you accepting my protection?” Lee pushed.

“Things get hairy when a Rock Chick is under fire so… I guess,” The Kevster accepted ungraciously.

But at his words, Ren’s arm got tight again.

Lee looked to Eddie, but Eddie was looking at Kevin. “Up. Now. Let’s go.”

The Kevster pushed up and his eyes came to me.

“Stay alive,” he advised as he walked by me.

That got another tightening of Ren’s arm and another sigh from me.

The door closed behind Eddie and Kevin and all attention focused on me.

Or I should say Ren and me.

“Where’s Darius?” Lee asked me.

“He and Brody started down the mountain before Ren and me so he should be in Denver,” I answered. “Listen, Lee—”

He lifted a hand close to my face and shifted his eyes to Ren.

My body strung tight.

“I take it you two are makin’ it official,” Lee noted.

“Get your hand out of my woman’s face,” Ren returned pretty unhappily.

Lee dropped his hand but his brows rose as he remarked, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“And I’ll say now, I know she’s your sister, but don’t do that shit again,” Ren replied.

Oh crap.

“Ren—” I started.

Hank moved closer to Lee and noted, “Not sure that’s the way to win your way into the family.”

“I pointed in Roxie’s face and told her to shut it, what would you do?” Ren asked what I thought was a valid question.

Hank held Ren’s eyes then he moved his to Lee.

Lee was looking at Hank and he shrugged.

Hank pressed his lips tight and looked at Ren.

Lee returned his attention to Ren.

No one said anything. This lasted a while. Long enough for me to lose patience.

“For God’s sake, yes!” I yelled. “We’re making it official!”

Hank looked to the ceiling.

Lee looked to his boots.

“Explains why apartments are exploding,” Luke commented. “A Rock Chick has set her sights on a hapless male.”

I felt pressure in my head. A lot of it. But I still managed to turn it Luke’s way and declare, “He set his sights on me.”

“Same thing,” Luke muttered, one side of his mustachioed lips tipped up.

“Were you hapless?” I asked.

“Totally,” he replied immediately.

“You do know what hapless means,” I snapped.

“I didn’t say I was hapless now,” he corrected. “I was hapless then, while she was running me through the ringer.”

“I’m thinking Ava saw it the other way around,” I informed him.

“She’d be wrong,” Luke informed me and his eyes went to Ren. “What’ve you had? A year? And the bombs are just starting?” He shook his head, stating eloquently that Ren was fucked. However, he did this without the half-grin thing going.

He was outright smiling.

Ren said nothing.

I glared at Luke then gave up and looked to my brothers. “Are we done here? Because Ren and I have a date.”

“Ally, your apartment just exploded,” Hank reminded me.

This was true.

Therefore I revised, “Are we done here? Because I have to go shopping for a kickass dress and sexy heels, and then Ren and I have a date.”

I felt Ren’s body moving like he was laughing, but I ignored that and raised my brows at my brothers.

“You got a room full of Rock Chicks, plus Tex, Duke, Tod, Stevie, Ralphie, Buddy and Smithie out there waiting to see if you’re all right, and then to get your explanation,” Lee’s eyes slid to Ren then back to me, “about a lot of things.”

“I love them, but I’m not sure that takes precedence over my first official date with my hot Italian American boyfriend,” I replied, and Ren’s body now definitely felt like it was laughing. I ignored this and kept speaking. “However, before we go, I’d like to know why you two were in each other’s faces at my apartment, otherwise known as the crime scene.”

Ren’s body stopped shaking.

That didn’t bode well.

“Thinkin’ you two can talk about that on your date,” Lee returned.

That didn’t bode much better.

This brought me to the hard part, and I braced before asking, “Right, then now I’d like to know if anyone was injured in the blast.”

“Blast was contained to your apartment,” Hank answered. “One of your neighbors got knocked over and sprained a wrist. Shit fell off walls of other units. Yours was pretty much decimated. Other than that, nothing.”

This time when I heaved a sigh, it was of relief.

“So now,” Lee started. “We’re done here.” He looked at Ren. “Except to say, I think you get, we leave her in your care, you better take that seriously.”